Here Lie the Shadows
by poisonedapple13
Summary: Thrown into a stretch of forest that exists in neither reality or dreamland, Lukas, Mathias, Emil, Tino and Belward find themselves unable to find the forest's end, see the morning's light, nor escape the shadows that just seem to grow and grow and grow. Only one person leaves...only one person will remember. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Flourescents

Date: September 18, 2011

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Bright, fluorescent lights shined down the hallway, reflecting off the polished tile floors. The slabs of reflected light approached fast then drifted away, to be replaced by a new one. The walls were painted a nostalgic grey, and that combined with the lights created the effect of the walls closing in. It closely resembled a prison.

_Very _closely.

It was silent aside from the steady, rhythmic tapping of somebody's heels and the low buzz emitting from the fluorescents. A few flickered slightly, the eerie lights tossing shadows about. However the heels did not falter in their pace, stepping with ease and resolve. They had a destination and were not planning on turning back. These heels were attached to a pair of long, slender legs, sheathed in nude nylons and covered with a tight fitting steel grey skirt, topped with a fitted suit jacket. The woman had curves galore, and she knew this, her hair tied up into a professional brunette bun. Sleek glasses framed her stormy grey eyes, and if one were to look at her in this scene, they'd think the place was built just to match her, like some sort of fashion accessory.

Hanging from her arm was a large black bag, its contents currently unknown.

Beside her walked a young man, probably in his mid twenties. He strode awkwardly, heavily intimidated by the woman's steely eyes and coldblooded demeanor. He himself had light brown hair that fell just below his ears and blue eyes that shined out from his worried face. He was clad in a pair of sky-blue scrubs, a tag hanging down from the bottom of his shirt to reveal his name: Toris. He nervously fiddled with a ring of keys in his hand, trying to pretend the woman he was escorting was simply a pretty little girl who just didn't speak much; not this sexy, ice cold panther.

Her task today was to shed some light on the most troubling case the world would _n_ever know. Countless detectives and investigators had tried to crack it before her, and every single one of them had gotten nowhere.

She was going to be the first.

"Are you _sure_ you wanted to see this one?"Toris inquired, approaching a heavy looking door that was marked with a C-89, "He's been known to act unstable."

She nodded briskly, "Believe me; I've dealt with unstable people. I can handle anything he throws at me."

Toris still looked uncertain, but he began to file through the supply of keys to find one belonging to C-89. The woman noticed somewhere in the back of her mind that his hands were shaking, and though she assumed it was from the room's chill, she couldn't help but be tempted to query.

"Mister Toris, are you afraid of this patient?"

Toris froze slightly, but his hands picked right back up their pace, "N-no…he just worries me. Then again, all of our patients worry me. They're all quite unsound." A loud clatter reverberated through the halls as the nurse's digits failed him and the keys plummeted to the floor. He breathed out an exclamation, apologizing for his mistake multiple times.

The woman however, she could care less how sorry the Lithuanian (judging from his accent) was. She wanted to know why the patient was worrisome. With ease, she bent down and picked up the ring before he could, and held it out to him, "Has he said something troubling to you?"

Toris, looking a little ashamed, accepted the keys. "No…see, some patients simply refuse to talk about their troubles. So we give them a journal that they write in, and then we read whatever they write while they're sleeping. This one…at first he didn't write. But when he did…he dumbfounded all of us." Finally locating the correct key, he slid it into the lock.

The woman saved this bit of information to the filing cabinet of her mind, resolving to somehow get her hands onto this journal.

"There's a television in here like I asked, right?" She inquired, shifting her position slightly.

"Oh…no not yet," he wrestled with the knob, "But I can jump right on that if you like."

She sighed, _should've expected this_, and fixed her glasses, pushing up on the bridge with a slender finger, "Yes, I'm going to need it." She didn't even bother to hide the annoyance in her tone, to which Toris flinched at. It wasn't his fault; most visitors didn't request a television. It easily slipped his mind. Silently, he pushed the door open, the hinges squeaking simply from the sheer weight of the thing.

A ray of light penetrated the inky black room, lighting the floor to reveal a cream colored carpet starting at the doorframe. Toris stuck his hand in and felt along the wall until he found what he was looking for, and within a few seconds the room was illuminated. Remaining passive-faced, the woman stepped into the room, her clacking heels being dampened by the cheap carpeting.

It was by no means lavish, though she wasn't expecting it to be. The walls were simple, nothing at all adorning them, not even a window to provide natural sunlight. Her cold eyes quickly ran along the room, examining it to the fullest extent. A silver toilet sat on the farthest right corner, and a very small table was in the center. On the surface was a paperback book, a pencil sitting close to it.

"I'll be right back with the television…" Toris mutters, closing the door with an audible clang.

The woman fixed her eyes on the wire frame bed against the back wall, the only things on it being a pillow, a blanket, and the very man she came to see. His body sat propped against the same wall, his legs folded and hands gone lax in his lap. His shoulders slumped pitifully, and he stared at her, an expression that some would say emotionless, but she knew better.

Stepping even farther into the room, she shrugged the black bag onto the table gracefully and sounded a simple greeting, "Hello, Emil."

Emil blinked, a small chunk of grey-blonde hair being jarred by the movement and falling over his right eye, "Hello."

She folded her arms, not even attempting a smile, "Do you know who I am?"

"Do I?"

That answer took her a little by surprise, but she did not let it surface, "No, I'm sure you don't. My name is Jennifer Klein." For a moment, he just stared at her, _right_ at her. As if he were trying to make sure she was telling the truth. Finally, he spoke.

"Good for you." She couldn't pinpoint if he was being allusive or simply difficult.

"You know why I'm here?"

"Of course. I'm not stupid, you know," As he said this, he seemed to get this far-off look in his eyes, as if he could see something just beyond her shoulder.

"I never thought you were," She looked around, then gestured towards the empty spot on the bed, "May I?"

"Why not?" He replied and again, she was unsure of what his words were portraying. Silkily, she steps over and smoothes her skirt under her as she lowered her rear down to the mattress. Her legs automatically crossed at the ankles, and she placed her hands in her lap. She didn't speak, instead staring at the paperback that sat on the table. It had no title, and this led her to believe that it was the all-telling journal. It seemed almost unused; the spine's slight creasing the only indication that it had.

"This is your journal, correct?" She confirmed, leaning forward to gently place her manicured fingertips on the glossed cover.

He followed her hand, "Yeah. What of it?"

She absently moved her fingers around on the cover, "May I read it?"

He shrugged, turning his attention back to the adjacent wall, "Go ahead, everybody else does anyways."

Klein picked the thin book up and turned it over in her hands, inspecting the outside for anything. What she might find, she didn't know, but it was in her nature to check and double-check everything just in case. "Doesn't that upset you? To know that your journal isn't private?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

She flipped open the pages, fanning through until a certain page caught her eye. Why it did? She wasn't quite sure, but she trusted her instinct on it and began reading, "Why do you continue writing in it, then?" Her eyes peered through her glasses, reading the delicate handwriting with much precision, on the lookout for anything that might mean something.

_Date: I really don't know._

_Time: …I don't really care. _

_You know...I don't even know why I write in this._

He seemed to weigh this question carefully, either that or he was weighing his answer, letting it sit on his tongue before he replied, "Probably because I'd rather talk to it than to anybody else."

_I know that you people read what I'm writing…yet I am still scribbling away. Does that mean there's something wrong with me?_

"And why is that?"

This answer came late as well, but he replied nonetheless, "People are so quick to judge. This book doesn't judge. Plus…I just…I get really lonely. Since I refuse to talk to these nurses, I write to the book."

_My dreams and hallucinations have gotten worse lately. No. Not hallucinations, just day-dreams. Nothing more than that. In these dreams…I keep seeing them. They're still running, still trying to get away but I know they never will. _

"Oh?" She countered, trying to keep him talking.

"It's stupid I know."

_I can still hear them screaming, begging to be let out. I can feel the pain. My eyes burn with their tears. _

"I wouldn't say stupid."

_Why do they still torment me when they promised I'd be fine?_

"But it is."

_I already live with my own guilt of getting out alive._

"What makes you think so?"

_So why must I bear their pain as well? _

_The shadows won't leave me alone, so I've resolved to living in complete darkness._

_I'm so lonely._

"Look, lady, not to be rude or anything but why should I talk to you?"

_I miss them so much. Even Mathias, with his stupid hair._

_What I wouldn't give to be able to see that hair again._

_Not in a dream, not in my memories, but to actually _see_ it. Same thing goes for Lukas…him and his stupid insistence on me calling him 'Big Brother.' Honestly, I'd say that in a heartbeat if he were here._

Klein smiled slightly, "Because I am your greatest ally."

_But I can't. They got lost with the rest of them._

_For all I know they could be dead._

Just as Emil was about to question her, the door handle began to rustle, indicating that it was being unlocked and opened. It groaned as it swung open, and a television, one of the old ones that you find in elementary schools, was pushed in. It sat on a cart that was about four feet high, Toris' head poking up from behind it.

Emil looked at the T.V. skeptically, for he had not had the pleasure to view one for months now, and then watched as Toris plugged it in. He didn't particularly like Toris, the man worried way too much about everyone, never truly thinking for himself. That way of living gets a man killed.

"Thank you," Klein said as she stood up, closing and placing the book back on the table. She was obviously not thankful, but Toris buys it and nods, scurrying out of the room with a few worried glances sent back over his shoulder.

Klein took the one graceful step to her black bag, and pulled a single videotape out of the folds. She kept a passive expression as she turned and held the dark rectangle of plastic up for him to see.

His eyes widened.

_That can't be…_

"Judging by your facial expression, I'm assuming you know what this is?" Klein explained, "You don't want to know how hard it was to retrieve this footage."

Emil nearly sputtered, but instead he managed to get out, "Is that…?"

"Your video? Sure is. It's quite the depressing thing to watch."

He continued to stare at the plastic box, as if it was throwing him into a whole different world. "It was quite the depressing thing to film." He said simply.

She weighed it in her hand, almost scrutinizing it, "Even though all of the 'experts' say this is a hoax, I am having an extremely hard time believing it is."

He just about perked up, but she briskly turned around to the television before he can get anything more than an utter out of his mouth.

"Let's watch it together, shall we?" She suggested, though it was clear that Emil had no choice in the matter. Efficiently, she pressed the tape to the mouth of the cassette player, and it automatically slid in. In the same motion, she applied pressure to the power button, and the monitor blinked to life, accompanied by a fuzzy noise. This noise quickly goes away as the VCR begins to read the tape, readying the system for playback.

Emil has his eyes glued to the screen. He can barely remember anything that happened after that night, and the memory of filming this video was hazy. Honestly, he hoped it would stay that way, but as Mrs. Klein steps to the side to lean against a wall and let Emil watch, he knew that he would have to watch either way.

He didn't want to…he couldn't face the memories head-on again…

The screen goes pitch black, but there is a muffled noise in the background, as if someone is messing around with the camera. A moment later, there is a slight popping noise, and the screen begins showing images. The camera is filming in night vision, so everything is green and undefined, but it would take an idiot not to spot the bloodied face staring right into the lens, right through the screen, and right back into the heart of whom it belonged to. Emil stared fixedly back at himself, horrified of what could possibly emit from his mouth.

_"I don't even know where I am…" The bloodied Emil whispered hoarsely,_ "_I can't tell where north is…all of the stars have disappeared."_

_He paused for a moment, as if trying to think of something else to say. He swallows thickly, "They're gone. Every last one of them…Last I saw of Lukas was him holding onto Mathias. They were coming for them. He knew that. I knew that." Another pause, "I wonder if they're going to come for me?" _

Emil choked, the memories coming back as fresh as when they had happened.

_A single tear can be seen sliding out of Emil's pinched eyes, clearing a trail through the blood and grime that coated his cheeks, "I'm so afraid…I can hear them whispering…But never can I understand what they're saying. Sometimes they mimic Lukas or Tino, occasionally Mathias…" He opens his eyes and looks behind him, almost as if something had made a noise, then he looks back at the camera. He almost has a smile on his face, but it's rueful and depressing, "I've always been afraid of dying alone."_

_A high pitched whistling noise begins to build up in the background, and Emil snaps his eyes shut once again, squeezing them tight. More tears leak out, and he whimpers slightly, "I'm so sorry…I never told any of you how much I—" _

The screen went black. The video was over, the battery must have died.

But Emil knew exactly what he was going to say.

Klein stepped forward from the wall and ejected the tape, putting it back into her black bag.

They are both completely silent for a moment.

"Why did you come here?" Emil inquired quietly, staring at no specific spot on the floor. It made no sense…what did this woman want from him? To laugh at his suffering? To take pity in him? To get him to tell her his story and then turn around and call him a liar?

"I came to get the truth," She responded honestly, "I want nothing more than that. I don't believe any of the stories that say you killed the four other men…Don't ask me why, it's an instinct."

Emil could only shut his eyes and try to dispel the terrifying images that kept popping into his head, images he did not ever want to remember. He almost didn't notice Mrs. Klein leaning forward until he cracked open his eyes and was met directly by her own sterling orbs, glowing from determination and another emotion that he could not pinpoint, but sure as hell scared him shitless.

"Tell me," She whispered fiercely, "Tell me _exactly_ what happened in that forest."


	2. Underbrush

_Now we travel back in time._

_Guided by silver eyes shine_

_Into the past from which we run,_

_Into the pain from where we come._

Date: September 2nd, 2009.

Time: 12:03 p.m.

Every creature born onto this planet, perhaps even the entire universe, is sent into the world with a fixed set of instincts. Animals know not to eat wildlife that displays bright colors, recognizing that these creatures are poisonous. This knowledge has been ingrained in their brains since generations before them. However, one instinct that exists in all breathing, thinking life forms is the fear of the dark. Sure, some beings have adapted to nocturnal environments, but the trepidation is still there. Perhaps this is because Death has always been associated with shadows and night, the two ruling hand in hand as the greatest allies in existence. Or maybe it's just the fear of the unknown that gets to us, not being able to identify what could be lying there in the inky, pitch blackness of the simplest shadow.

This topic was not on anybody's mind that fateful day.

However, almost ironically, autumn sunlight shined cheerily through the leaves of the forest, the small twigs reaching greedily for their life source. The rays of light that did emit through the green canopy hit the floor of the woodland and glowed there, providing a sort of path for the occasional traveler to walk along. It was a healthy strip of trees, radiating life and harmony. Some trees reached hundreds of feet high, towering above any animal and swamping the newer trees. Their trunks had large circumferences, and if one were to look at it they would be immediately reminded of the Ewok planet Endor from Star Wars; however this forest had far more underbrush than that, adding dimension to the place.

Mathias, though, was bored out of his mind. Yes, it was pretty. Yes, it smelled rugged and wild, always one of his favorite scents, but he was still _bored as Hell_. How was it the one time he actually showed up on time, everybody else showed up late? It wasn't fair at all, so now he was stuck sitting underneath a gorgeously sculpted tree, absently plucking overgrown blades of grass to occupy his mind. From his throat he hummed a song that he didn't really know, but the tune stuck to his head and he purred it over and over again. Occasionally, he would look around, his blue orbs taking in the surroundings. Of course, this got old once he memorized just about every last thing neighboring him.

He groaned out of frustration and ran a restless hand through his golden blonde hair, the recently plucked plants falling from his palm to lap with the action. Being bored wasn't something he enjoyed or ever took up; he was the kind of person who had to be doing something at all times.

Almost as if answering his pleas for entertainment, he heard a rustle behind him. Turning with a wide grin, he was ready to heartily greet whichever one of his friends had arrived.

But nothing was there.

Confused, he called out, "Hello?" and peered into the brush, expecting Lukas or somebody to step out from a shadow. It seemed like the thing Lukas would do, and then he'd act all innocent like he didn't mean to.

"Hello?" He called out once again. There. Deep into the undergrowth he could see the shadows shift slightly. It was a movement so faint he almost missed it, but he had keen eyes.

"Lukas I can see you," He said, feeling a bit clever that he caught the trick before it was played out.

For an instant, the shadow shimmered and he could nearly laugh at the fact Lukas had to face his own failure.

"How can you see me? I'm right behind you," came from an all too familiar voice.

Mathias froze, staring at the shadow he _knew_ he had seen move. It was right there, he could pinpoint the very spot it was sitting on.

But yet Lukas' voice came from _behind him_.

Mathias turned slowly, not allowing his eyes to leave the spot until it was physically impossible, and faced Lukas head-on. His friend stood a few feet behind him, watching Mathias talk to shadows. Mathias gaped at him, trying to piece together the circumstances that could possibly be taking place here.

"You look like a scared idiot," Lukas pointed out, his seemingly emotionless face remaining blank.

Mathias plastered a defiant expression onto his face, "I'm not scared. I just…" He twisted his head to look back into the thicket, back at the shadow he saw move.

It was replaced by a glowing patch of sunlight.

Lukas followed Mathias' gaze, "…saw what?"

Mathias stared for a moment, but shrugged it off and turned back to his Norwegian friend, "It must have been some animal," he grinned, "Hey Luky!" He drew the 'hey' out a tad longer than was necessary, he knew it bugged Lukas. Hell, almost everything he did bugged Lukas. But that was expected; they were best friends as far as Mathias was concerned, and any good friendship required somebody who got annoyed regularly.

Lukas' eye twitched, though it wasn't very noticeable, "Hello, Mathias."

Mathias felt his throat get a little fuzzy from thirst as he looked around for Lukas' little brother, Emil, but he didn't see the kid anywhere.

"Where's Emil?" The Dane asked, walking back over to the tree he had been previously sitting under, where his stuff currently lay.

"He left something in the car and went back to grab it," Lukas replied, folding his arms, since there wasn't really anything else to do with them.

"Sucker. Were you guys far up the trail by then?" Mathias fished through his pack, searching for the plastic cylinder of water he had brought. He found it after a bit, unscrewing the cap and applying the opening to his lips.

Lukas stepped a bit closer so as to lean against a tree, "No. I just didn't want to wait for him."

"You're such a great brother, Luky."

Lukas straightened his shoulders, "The best, actually."

"The best at what?" This new voice belonged to Emil, the boy who just never seemed entertained. Mathias never understood how he could seem so bored all the time, there were plenty of interesting things to take notice in, but he didn't really question it. He loved Emil like a brother, even if they weren't blood related. He basically had helped Lukas raise the kid, given they themselves had been friends since childhood.

"Best at being a big brother," Lukas replied, his eyes reflecting the ghost of amusement, yet he was sincere.

Emil dragged himself into the clearing, tugging a heavy-looking cooler behind him. He panted from pulling the thing up the non-too-easy path, his hair mussed from the effort. "I can argue with that. You could've helped me haul this thing up here, you know."

"Yeah," Lukas said simply, showing that he knew he could he just didn't feel like it.

"Yep. You're a _great_ brother," Emil's voice was laced heavily with sarcasm.

"Finally you see it my way."

Emil put the cooler down, "I do not! Haven't you heard of sarcasm?"

"Yeah."

"Ladies, ladies," Mathias interrupted before the dispute could escalate, "You're both lovely. Do any of you know when Tino and Bel are coming? I want to get to the campsite as quick as possible."

Lukas remained silent but Emil spoke up, "Belward told me at the last gas stop that they had to go drop Peter off at Arthur's, then they were going to head up."

"Wait, so is Arthur's place close to here?"

"Yeah, it's like seven miles from the road that takes you to the trail. Why?"

"I just never knew."

"Well now you do."

Mathias nodded, letting the new information sink in. He was really excited to see Belward again, it _had _been years since their last encounter after all. Belward had gone off and gotten married like a dick, leaving Mat all alone with Lukas and Emil.

Not that he minded of course.

He had grown much closer to them both in that amount of time; eventually the bond between him and Lukas grew even stronger than the bond he had previously shared with Belward. It was great, although Mathias couldn't help but think that there was something just beyond his reach, something he hadn't achieved yet with Lukas. He didn't know what, but he also didn't know how to grasp it. Hell, he didn't even know what it was. It was like some sort of entity just tugging on his being, trying to pull him along. Of course he ignored it, he didn't know where he would end up nor if he would like it.

_I wonder if Lukas feels like this as well…_

He stole a sideways glance at the gorgeous Norwegian, and quickly debunked it. There was no way that under those radiantly dull, azure eyes there was even the slightest feeling of want; of attraction for Mathias. It just couldn't be possible.

_Then again, big guy, _a voice very similar to his own echoed inside his head, _you're not showing any of these signs either. _

This voice he liked to refer to as Jim. Why? Because Jim was a cool name, and this voice was cool. It was most definitely his own voice, only it was like the logical part of his brain detached itself and sprouted vocal chords. Jim was reasonable and made perfect sense; it was Mathias who simply chose to ignore his advice and witty remarks.

Kind of like how he was going to now.

"Mathias you're looking stupid again," Lukas pointed out indifferently, knocking Mathias out of his thought process. He realized quickly that he was still staring at Lukas, though he didn't quite tear his eyes away just yet. He took time to absorb the way Lukas' simple violet sweater set off the purplish-blue in his eyes, and how his casual white pants were obviously made _not_ to flatter, yet they did. His light blonde hair reflected sunlight beautifully, shining with health similar to the forest's.

_You've got it bad, Buddy,_ Jim pointed out.

_No I don't,_ Mathias snapped back.

Lukas was doing everything he could not to stare back. It was painfully awkward to have the Dane study him so, but he had no idea how to get him to stop. Actually, through all of the awkwardness, he felt just a hint flattered…though he would never admit that, even to himself. Lukas had already performed his inspection of Mathias, taking in how nicely he looked in a black jacket, instead of coat, and jeans. It was a simple side of the Dane that Lukas actually liked, but again, there was no way in Hell that he would ever confess these thoughts.

Lukas was the kind of person who, on the outside, looked almost as if he could care less about anything in the world. However, he was actually somebody who thought through everything at such a complexity he would give himself headaches ever so often. These headaches happened a lot, recently, especially when he was around his over exuberant friend. Lukas was convinced it was purely because the tall man was just so…loud…but as the occurrences took place much more frequently, he began to question just what it could possibly be.

By this point, the two men were literally standing there, no more than four feet apart, staring at each other. Mathias still held the water bottle about six inches away from his face, and Lukas continued to lean against his tree. Both were completely submerged in their own thoughts to even notice their actions.

"Oh my God would you two just kiss or something and get it over with?" Emil groaned, annoyance set into his tone.

This snapped the pair out of their dream-like state and Mathias nearly blushed, but hid it with a grin, "Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming."

Lukas merely blinked at him for a moment, and then crossed the small space between them to whack him upside the head, "Stop making things look weird."

"Ow, Lukas…" Mathias whined, rubbing the spot on his head. Being hit wasn't exactly new to him, but Lukas' smacks always had a bite to them that Mathias would rather not experience.

Emil sighed, honestly happy the moment was over but still rueful that his stupid brother was such a pussy, and sat down on the cooler, "So are we just supposed to wait here for Belward and Tino?" He placed his head into his hands, propping his elbows on his knees.

"Pretty much," Lukas replied, sliding his back down the tree until he was sitting on the cool grass.

"It's not like we can just leave and have them find us. Belward doesn't know these woods very well, so it's basically like dropping two guppies into a tub of seaweed," Mathias explained, deciding to hop onto the bandwagon and sit down himself, right where he was when he first got there.

All three men stayed quiet for a while, and it almost appeared as if Lukas had dozed off. In fact, Mathias was just about to make discussion with Jim on how cute little Luky was when the Norwegian randomly spoke up.

"Did you know that there's a legend about Earth's first forests?"

Emil rolled his eyes, knowing that Lukas was just going to spout off about some stupid myth again. Mathias, however, turned his full attention onto Lukas' words.

"No, what is it?"

Lukas paused for a moment, as if trying to remember the whole story. When he spoke up, his voice took on an almost thoughtful quality, "Well, the legend of the Kijarlen is pretty simple, but it makes its point. According to fable, the Kijarlen are shadows, counterparts to landvættir. Kijarlen exist only in the world's oldest forests, they subsist purely to defend everything about it."

Something about the words sparked a hint of remembrance in Mathias, but that was quickly dispelled as Lukas continued.

"The Kijarlen are ruthless killers, enticed out from hibernation by merely the displacement of a single plant. They do not allow anything that does not belong in the ecosystem to reside for long, and some stories describe these entities to annihilate a whole village in a single night."

Even Emil had become attentive, having never heard this story before.

Lukas absently drew his hand up to fiddle with the cross hair pin that held his locks back, "Shadows are sometimes depicted as being reflections of the soul; but in this case, Kijarlen are actually soul-absorbers. They contain the ability to slowly take over any creature's essence, effectively being able to possess the body itself. With this, among multiple other talents, the Kijarlen are able to protect their forests from any potential harm."

Lukas was normally not one for talking much, but when he started speaking about myths and legends, he took on a completely different personality. It was as if some sort of dam inside him broke, and all of these words came flowing out.

Silence signaled story time was over, and Mathias swallowed. It was kind of a creepy story to think about…shadows that seized your soul…

"Wait…" Emil spoke up, "If they destroy anything that doesn't belong, then how do we know they exist?"

Lukas sighed, "Yes, I forgot about that part. Folklore says that the Kijarlen allow one to live, so that they can warn anybody else, so that they can remember. Being forgotten can prove fatal to the Kijarlen, for the next thing they know their forest could be wiped out before they wake up, given modern technology. If people remember they exist; nobody will try to mess with them."

"Seems unlikely if you ask me," Emil muttered, and before Lukas can say anything back, the underbrush from behind Emil begins to rustle.

All three men turn their heads to look towards the sound, Mathias expecting any sort of monster to jump out at them. If it did, he was certain he could smash its head in… after a momentary freak out, of course. Momentary. No more than a third of a second. Probably less.

Instead of a monster, however, he saw something not much different, but he actually enjoying seeing this one.

Blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, followed by another sandy head with chocolate eyes entered the small area they were set up in.

Mathias rose to his feet, his ever-lasting grin widening.

"Hey, Belward."


	3. Does not Belong

_From sweat and blood we make our tears,_

_And from our tears we grow our fears._

_Fear the now you've come to know,_

_Fear the then you've left too cold._

Date: September 2nd, 2009.

Time: 12:47 p.m.

For a moment, the two men just gazed at each other from their positions; Belward stone-faced and Mathias grinning pointlessly. What can he say? He was really, _really_ happy to see the Swede.

One piercing look from Belward threw Mathias back in time, back into his memories. It almost- _almost_, as in 'not really'- made him blush. He could recall many memories from their childhood and some from their teenage years…memories that made blood threaten to rise to his cheeks. See, for a while…he and Belward had been a 'thing'. Mathias wasn't quite sure what to call it honestly; it was a very confusing time in both of their lives. Both boys, being teenagers, didn't understand anything. Why they felt the way they did towards each other…it took a long while before they finally decided to do something about it, to investigate what they had been taught was unnatural.

A snippet of a scene passed behind Mathias' eyes: a dark sky, twinkling stars, warm campfire…he and Bel sitting under a tree, pointing out the constellations they knew and naming the ones they didn't. A kiss was shared. Granted, small, but the tingling contact haunted Mathias to this day.

Almost as if to make fun of him—if this were the case, he blamed Jim wholeheartedly-, Mathias' lips began to tickle. He refused to allow his hand to come up and touch them in remembrance; he was over that phase of their relationship.

"Mathias!" Tino exclaimed, his eyes brightening up as he jumped past Belward to approach the Dane. "It's been so long, how have you been?"

Mathias, without taking his eyes from Belward, replied, "I've been great, Tino," He stared hard at the Swede, as if talking to him and not the Finnish man, "What about yourself?"

Belward caught and held Mathias' gaze, his eyes sparking in a hint of a smile as Tino continued talking to Mat.

"We've been wonderful, haven't we Belward?" He turned back to smile at his husband, who gave a discreet nod.

The nod was so small that anybody could have brushed it off, but to Mathias it meant more than anything. In Belward's eyes, he saw a gleam of happiness…happiness he hadn't seen in a long time.

_So he really is in love, _Jim commented, _that's really good._

Mathias nodded mentally, _Yeah it is. I'm happy for him. _

_Do you wish he was still with you?_

The Dane weighed his answer carefully, hoping to find the right words to explain it. He didn't have to get the words perfect, he knew, for Jim would understand what he was talking about. As he tasted his reply, he stole one tiny look at Lukas, who still sat against a tree, submersed in his own thoughts. A throb of…something…went right through Mathias' chest and he knew he could finally respond.

_Not at all, actually._

"Well, you guys sure are an awkward bunch," Emil muttered, having witnessed every last uncomfortable scene played out within the past hour or so.

Lukas glanced over at his brother, "You're no better."

Emil straightened defensively, puffing his chest out some, "Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too!"

"Hey, hey, boys," Tino interrupted, putting a hand up to signal for their bickering to stop, "Let's not argue. We should probably start going…it's going to be dark soon and I don't know how far we have to go…" He looked at Belward and Mathias as he said the last part, urging them to explain where to go from there.

Mathias smiled at Belward and nodded, shouldering his backpack with a swift movement, "It's a bit of a walk…but we can stop for the night along the way."

"Also make your last calls or texts," Belward added, "This is the last area we have service in."

Almost as if it had understood Belward, Tino's phone began ringing. It was a simple ringtone that sounded almost like bells, but Mathias wasn't sure as Tino pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID, frowning at the device in his hand.

"Bel, it's Peter." He said, glancing up at his husband. After a nod from Belward, the Finnish man clicked a button and held the phone to his ear, "Yes, Peter?"

Everybody could hear the frantic wailing of Peter on the other end, his words cracking from pure emotion.

"You and Papa have to come and get me! Take me with you!" He cried, sobbing relentlessly.

"Peter…." Tino looked at Belward worriedly, or for help, "Peter, Arthur will take care of you for the weekend…"

"No! Please, I don't like his house! Take me with you!"

At this point, Belward took the phone, "Peter, Tino and I have already left. We can't come get you."

Peter had calmed down a bit, so the next few hushed phrases were incomprehensible to the rest of the group. While Lukas and Mathias exchanged looks, Tino bit at his nails. He was obviously not happy with leaving Peter at Arthur's, but this hike was exclusive for the five friends.

"Good boy. Say bye to Tino," Belward said, placing the phone back to Tino's ear. Tino whispered his goodbyes into the mouthpiece, and then the phone was turned off and put back into the backpack the couple was sharing.

"We should get going," Lukas said, standing up with a smooth motion.

"Sure," Mathias replied, looking around to make sure they hadn't forgotten something. Satisfied that he hadn't, he gestured to the cooler Emil was perched on, "Need help carrying that?"

Emil's eyes widened like Mathias had suggested having children with him, "Uhh I lugged it all the way up here. I'm not carrying it any farther."

Mathias sighed, turning to Bel, "Help me carry this."

Belward looked at Mathias, eyes gleaming from behind his frames, "make me."

Mat smirked, liking where this was going. It was just like old times, "Maybe I will, dickmint."

"How will you manage this, shithead?"

"I'll kick your ass."

"I'm so scared."

Nobody made any move to stop the bantering; it was a normal thing for the two to do. Tossing names and insults around like they were nothing, which they weren't. The two could say the most hateful things to each other, and it wouldn't even faze them. Mathias thanked these insult showdowns for his ability to take insults from anybody else, namely Lukas.

"Just help him," Tino laughed, after the name calling had gotten a little more explicit.

Mathias wanted to snicker at how Belward gave in so easily after that, heaving up one side of the white cooler while Mathias got the other. Is that what marriage did to you? He wondered, ignoring the slow burn in his forearms as their group began to migrate up the trail, nearly completely overgrown from misuse.

_What _is_ marriage? _He questioned, hoping for Jim to reply, which he obviously did.

_Marriage is a prison, duh. _Jim replied like the smartass he was.

_Is it? They seem happy to me._

_ That's because they are. But they're the kind of people made for marriage. But you? Let's just say you aren't the marrying type._

_ Psh I can be whatever I want to be._

_ Marriage ties a person down. All of a sudden they have thousands of responsibilities; they can't do the things you can. Do you want that?_

Mathias decided to shut Jim up before the conversation went further. He was completely right, Mathias wasn't made for marriage…yet something about it appealed to him. Perhaps it was just the fact that he had never done it, and he enjoyed experiencing new things. He wasn't exactly sure.

The group walked along in an atmosphere of friendliness and awakening, given they had been split for a while. They laughed and exchanged stories as the canopy above them began to lose its glow, the sky dimming to a purple that matched Lukas. They decided to set down the cooler once they reached a flat spot, pulling and setting up the tent that had until recently resided in Emil's backpack. It was actually a four person tent, and given the space Mathias volunteered to sleep outside.

It was as Mathias was crawling into his thick sleeping bag, zipping it up to lock in the heat, that Lukas came outside as well.

"I just…wanted to thank you for bringing me. I understand this was yours and Belward's thing to do," He said, avoiding eye contact with the Dane and poking at the wood of a dying fire with a stick.

Mathias propped himself on an elbow to face his friend, "It's no problem. It's not like this place is _all_ mine and Bel's. We decided we wanted to share."

"You? Sharing? These woods birth miracles," Lukas' voice was almost emotionless, but Mathias had dealt with him so long that he could read the sarcasm.

"Ha ha. Funny. You should be a comedian, Luky."

Lukas' eye twitched, "Don't call me Luky."

"But it's so cute…"

"Precisely. Don't."

Mathias, smirking, pushed himself higher on his elbow to face the Norwegian head-on, their faces dangerously close to touching, "And what if I continue?"

"I'll bite you," Lukas threatened, though he made no move to get away from Mathias.

"Bite me? Sounds kinky, Luky."

Lukas' eyes flickered, "It's not, and don't call me that."

"Luky." He moved his face a centimeter closer.

"Don't…" Lukas matched the movement.

"Luky," Mathias' voice was now a purr, their lips only inches apart.

"I said don't…" Lukas reached up with one hand to cup the side of Mathias' neck, "…call me that…."

"Woah woah woah….am I intruding…?" A new voice cut in, a voice who's owner Mathias currently wanted to kill.

"Emil," He groaned, feeling cool air on the spot Lukas' hand once was, "What do you need?"

"Well," Emil started, staring at his brother with a weird expression on his face, "I_ was_ going to ask if Lukas was coming in, since I truly don't want to be alone with the married couple…but…erm…I'll leave you two to it," He turned to go back into the tent when Lukas stood up, his knees popping with the movement.

"No, I'm coming," He walked past Emil and stepped into the tent without so much as a backward glance.

Emil fixed his eyes on Mathias and stared…it wasn't so much a glare as it was an evaluating leer.

"What?" Mathias finally asked after a few minutes.

Emil wasn't paying much attention to him anymore. Instead his eyes were focused on the ground in front of Mathias…the fire was flickering in front of him, Emil noted, so his shadow should be behind him…right?

However, Mathias' shadow draped over the dirt in _front _of him and towards the fire…and there was another one behind him as well.

Emil could feel his brows furrow in confusion as he stared at the shadow. Something wasn't right about it….he just couldn't pinpoint it. He supposed there could somehow be a separate light source, however he doubted it. Not only that, but the shadow seemed so…thick. Like jelly spread across the ground. He tried his hardest to categorize the thing into his mind, but the one thing that kept flashing across his thoughts was_ it does not belong._ In all honesty, that thought registered into the deeper, more instinctive parts of his brain and stirred up an ancient, primal fear in the boy. He didn't understand why he was so scared….he just was.

Without saying a word, Emil stepped backwards and zipped the tent close.

Mathias frowned; intrigued by the strange behavior the boy was exhibiting. He looked around him, trying to find the source of such a reaction, but found nothing.

_He's probably tired,_ Jim said, _just like you are._

With a yawn, Mathias accepted that conclusion. It made sense, and as he drifted off into sleep, he completely brushed off the incident.

* * *

_The shadows whispered to each other, whispered fiercely and hastily. They had seen and they had decided. _

"_They do not belong."_


	4. No Longer Safe

**A/N: Oh my derp x3 you people are amazing. Just saying. Honestly, this story wouldn't even be to the third chapter yet if you guys weren't so derpiliciously awesome. Not kidding, Prussian awesome. Well, I'm just going to get some things straight here:**

**The Kjarlen are completely fictional. If you look them up you will come up with nothing. **

**Jennifer Klein is not a character in the show, however you will see exactly what part she plays in the story. Don't worry, she's not an OC either. **

**Also, just a huge thanks to you guys. You are all so patient with me when I'm such a terrible updater. I seriously have no excuse for it; I just get lazy. **

**Anyways, done with the A/N. Hopefully this will be my only one because I vowed not to be one of those authors who have an A/N every other chapter.**

**Also...there's a yaoi warning in this chap. Don't worry, it doesn't get explicit.  
**

* * *

Date: September 18, 2011

Time: 4:35 pm

Jennifer Klein pushed on the bridge of her glasses and ran her hands to brush off her skirt, as if she had collected dust.

"Two shadows?" She repeated, a nearly disbelieving edge to her tone. The lights had been turned on a while back, which seemed to make the Icelandic male next to her incredibly anxious. Throughout the entire time he was talking, his eyes flicked around the room, almost like he was watching some unseen insect. Often times his face would compress slightly, as if he were cringing but trying not to show it, and at other times he seemed to be in a whole other world completely.

"Yes, two shadows," Emil confirmed, then shifted his eyes from the corner of the room to her, as if evaluating her reaction. Whatever he saw in her face must not have been what he was looking for, for his aura changed completely/ He suddenly took on a threatening atmosphere, gritting his teeth so hard you could see his jaw pushing out. "I'm not lying," He hissed, suddenly standing to his feet, little ripped pieces of paper falling from his lap. Klein took special note of this; she had not seen these before, which was odd in itself. It wasn't everyday she missed something.

"I never said you were lying," She replied calmly, hoping to prevent an outburst.

"No, but you were thinking it," Emil growled, eyes sparking with a fierce vehemence she had never seen in a person before. It was as if the calm and docile Emil from earlier had been kidnapped and replaced with a new Emil, a doppelganger of sorts. But she knew that hadn't happened…she had been next to him the whole time.

She could only stare, she seemed frozen in place.

_What are you doing?_ She screamed at herself, _Get up!_

However, she couldn't. It was almost as if fear had gripped her and locked her in chains, none of her muscles wanted to respond. Why was she acting like this? She was Jennifer Klein, the unbreakable, the impenetrable…but something about this boy set her nerves ablaze. No…it wasn't the boy. This was a completely different energy.

Now determined to find what had her instincts on fire, Klein examined the fuming male. Her orbs peered around him, trying to find something, _anything_. And then she saw it.

Emil had two shadows.

And suddenly Klein had motivation to move.

"It appears I have overstayed my welcome," she said, standing up. Trying to keep her hands from shaking, she picked up the black bag containing the videotape. "Is it alright if I come back tomorrow?"

Emil seemed to have started to calm down; the threatening aura was dissipating at a rate that made her wonder why she ever thought he was threatening in the first place.

"Yeah," he said, sitting down, sounding defeated, "I suppose you can come back."

Klein smiled, "Thank you," and started to walk out the door. She stopped, however, just as one of her manicured fingers was about to touch the knob. In one motion, she turned, "You seem to have a mess there…want me to pick it up for you?" She gestured to the scattered pieces of ripped paper.

Emil looked at it, not even seeing it, and nodded his head. As she stooped to gather every piece she could, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. The memories were coming back, at first blurry, but now they seemed as if somebody had adjusted the focus on a camera. They burned his eyelids, tore apart his already broken sanity, threatened to overtake everything he had attempted to heal.

Klein finally finished and stood back up, now ready to leave the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Emil."

And then she was gone.

Emil cracked an eye open, satisfied she was gone, and quickly snatched up his journal and pencil. It had been some time since he had written in it...He flipped it open and thumbed through pages, trying to find his last entry. Once he had reached it, he turned to the fresh page and wrote down six words. Six words that he knew as a fact.

_My soul is no longer safe._

He wrote no more.

They had started whispering again.

Silently, he stepped over to turn off the lights and then went to crawl under the simple sheet adorning his bed. Even with his feather stuffed pillow clamped tightly over his head, he could still hear them.

Good thing you can't see shadows in the dark.

_My soul is no longer safe._

* * *

Date: September 3rd, 2009.

Time: 3:00 a.m.

Mathias woke up because he was wet.

Cold he can handle.

Hell, he sleeps like a baby in the cold.

But, add being wet into the mix? Nope. Not happening.

At first, he sort of just sat there, evaluating the level of moisture in his sleeping bag. After a while, he was determined that it was soaked.

"You've got to be shitting me…" He groaned while running a hand over his face. He yawned, summoning up the strength to crawl out of the sleeping bag. Finally with a few curses, he pulled himself out.

_Did it rain…?_ He asked Jim, looking up at the sky. However, that made no sense. The sky was so crisp and clear, it was obvious it hadn't rained at all in the past twelve hours at the least. Not only that, but the telltale scent of fresh rain was nowhere in the air and the ground he stepped on seemed relatively dry…

_What the Hell? _

He picked up his sleeping back and felt along it. He was right; the bag was dripping with water. Confused, he turned his head in every direction he could, trying to find out how the Hell _his_ sleeping bag was wet but nothing else was.

"Mathias," A smooth, deep voice called from just beyond the tree line. Instinctively from hearing his name, he looked up. He knew the voice…he just couldn't place it to a face.

Once he saw who stepped out of the trees, he nearly slapped himself. How could he forget _that_? Lukas looked utterly stunning in the milky moonlight, stepping out from behind a knotted tree. He fashioned an expression that Mathias had grown used to, but something about it seemed different tonight. Mathias struggled to put a finger on it as the Norwegian crossed the short space between them, the moonlight shining off of his pale angel-fine hair. He wasn't wearing his pin, which seemed odd to Mathias. He had never seen Lukas without it on. However this couldn't register in his head for the shorter male had reached to where Mathias was standing, his head tilted up to stare him dead in the eye.

Suddenly Mathias recognized what was different.

There was _lust_ in Lukas' eyes.

Mathias' own eyes widened as Lukas placed a slender, callused hand onto the Dane's chest. It was such a startling temperature contrast to the freezing night air…for Lukas' hands were warm as if he had just warmed them by a fire.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Mathias asked, stuttering from the mere attraction building in his body. He wanted to take Lukas. He wanted to take him _now._

Lukas said nothing, lowering his eyelids and gazing up at Mathias in a way that seemed sexy in such an unknowing way…yet there was no way Lukas didn't know what he was doing. His movements were too self-assured, too deliberate, "I'm doing something I should've done a long time ago…" he nearly purred, moving his body to match right up along Mathias'. He reached up and cupped Mathias' cheek with a heated hand, pulling it down to meet his lips.

Mathias did everything he could to not lose his mind right then and there. Lukas' body and lips were exactly like his hands, unnaturally warm. He probably had woken up a little before Mathias had, being cuddled by Emil, who had a tendency to do that whenever he and Lukas slept together. That would explain the warmth. However, it did not explain these hands that were roaming up Mathias' body, these lips that were moving in sync with Mathias' own, that chest that was pressed so tightly against his he could almost feel the heartbeat.

Mathias, bewildered, decided to jump on the opportunity and kiss back, his hands wrapping around Lukas' waist. Was this really happening? He couldn't tell, the lines between physical and mental seemed blurry now.

Lukas laughed and moved his lips from his mouth to place them at the base of the Dane's ear, his hot breath washing down Mathias' neck. It was a sensation that made Mathias grip tighter at Lukas' waist, anticipating what was to come next.

It was not what he thought.

A high pitched hum started to reverberate in the atmosphere, nearly jarring out his bones. He winced, trying to pull away from Lukas, but the Norwegian's grip was too tight.

"You don't belong," Lukas growled.

The words that left Lukas' mouth weren't human. They weren't even animal. They were otherworldly, the underlying voices beneath his own speaking from some other dimension. Alarmed, Mathias struggled to pull away, succeeding with about eight inches.

That was when alarmed turned into horrified.

Lukas' face was sagging, nearly slipping off his head. It was like a crappy latex mask in the sun, melting and folding over itself. His eyes had changed from deep azure to a boiling red, reflecting the moonlight in a way that was much less than pleasant. He grinned, revealing a mouth that had no teeth but a straight black hole.

Mathias reeled away, letting out a horse shout.

"You don't belong," the Lukas-thing purred, "don't belong, don't belong, _do not_ belong!"

Mathias pushed away with all his strength, managing to rip away but fell to the ground. He pushed with his feet, desperate to reach some point of safety. Lukas-thing followed with a slow-like torture, singing his terrible song. Suddenly, Mathias felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into the face of Belward, who had the same dripping-off look. He smiled a sickly-sweet smile and whispered, "wake up, Mathias."

"_Wake up…"_

_ "…wake up…"_

_ "Wake up!"_

With a jolt, Mathias opened his eyes and stared up into three mens' faces. Belward first, Lukas second, and Emil third. They all stared at him as if he were naked. Just to be safe, he looked down, and found he was all the way on the other side of their camp site. He frowned, taking note of the overturned sleeping bag and the way he had dragged a trail through the dirt.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?" Emil asked, attitude laced with every word.

Mathias sat up, brushing his hair with a hand, "I had a nightmare, I guess."

"No shit."

Lukas almost seemed to frown as he handed Mathias a blanket, "Well get ready. We're moving on in an hour or so."

Mathias accepted the clothes as Lukas and Emil walked away, talking quietly amongst themselves. He shuddered slightly, remembering the warmth of the Lukas-thing's body, and stood up.

"Some nightmare," Belward muttered, nodding towards Mathias' crotch area.

When Mathias looked down he found a very distinguishable lump.

_Fantastic._


End file.
